Sharing your love of sewing

I'm off for a few days to go on a family whitewater raft trip in Westwater Canyon, Utah--my first and possibly last raft trip. I'm excited and a little nervous. The Colorado River is running high and two of the rapids are named "Sock it to me" and "Last Chance". Yikes! My biggest concern though, is what to do with my hair? I wash, blow dry and curl my hair everyday and I don't look good in hats. I guess it's a good thing that they don't recommend bringing cameras so there shouldn't be any evidence of my bad hair days.

Summer is such a good time to share your love of sewing and quilting with others. If you have the good fortune to teach a kid to sew, be sure to check out these two books that we have written. I am so proud of these books. They are filled with fun and games and a unique method for teaching beginners. The Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids is aimed at true beginning sewers and is filled with lots of projects. Click on the link below to see some of the projects. http://greatamericanquilt.com/store/bestofsewingmachinefun.html

Sewing Fun for Kids teaches patchwork and is filled with great gifts for kids to make. Kids learn to stitch an accurate 1/4" and make several patchwork projects. Click on the link to see what they can make. http://greatamericanquilt.com/store/sewingfunkidspatch.html

I hope you enjoy sharing your love of sewing as much as I do.

Whitewater Lynda

It's too hot for Christmas but the elves must work anyway

I have been one busy elf getting ready for Christmas in July. We have had several planning meetings and have come up with some great "inspiration" ideas to help you get ready early for the holidays.

Last weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday making a small quilt with one of our new Christmas panels. It was fun because I knew that I could make it in a couple of hours and then be done with it. I even learned to do a machine binding! I can't believe in all of these years of quilting I have never learned to do machine binding, but I have now and is it ever fun! I'm even trying to finish up a few more projects just so I can do some more machine binding.

In addition to the Christmas quilt, I also made two Christmas sassy aprons and four oven mitts that I think are so very cute. I got a little carried away and made an oven mitt for myself in Day of the Dead fabric with an apron to match. I LOVE it! It has been a long time since I have made something for me. Hmmm, now if I could just figure out when I have time to entertain...

At work we have all been working on Christmas samples. We have received so many new fabrics that have truly inspired me. All this hard work on Christmas/winter projects has made us feel a little cooler, in spite of the 90 degree plus weather.

Lynda and I, along with our husbands, leave for a wedding in Atlanta tomorrow. Judy who is our most faithful companion and right hand person in the store, her son is getting married. So we are off to CELEBRATE! We will have to see what quilt shops are in the Atlanta area. I am sure our husbands won't mind.

Have a great week!

Nancy

Consider the Possibilities

We regularly write a column, Consider the Possibilities, for McCall's Quilting and Quick Quilts magazines and we have done that now for several years. We have consolidated them on our website and they are a wealth of information. We have written articles on everything from marking your quilt, to finding missing fabric, to quilting software. In fact, we have 44 articles that you can access. Both of these magazines are terrific and filled with great information and inspiration. We try to write the column to answer questions that we get from our retail store customers as well as our web customers. So, if you have any suggestions for columns to write, please send us an email at info@greatamericanquilt.com

We would love to hear from you!

To access the articles, go to http://www.greatamericanquilt.com/articles.html

Enjoy,

Lynda and Nancy

Lynda's Grandtwins

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Pure joy in complementary colors!!

Snow Buddies

It is a very hot weekend here in Denver and I need to think cold. How about snow people? One of our most requested quilt books over the years has been Snow Buddies. Everytime we took the Snow Buddies quilt to a show, we would sell out of the book. Well, we finally had to retire the book a couple of years ago, but we now have the technology to bring it back as an e-book. Hallelujah! It is a charming quilt picturing snow people celebrating every month of the year. Below is the block for February. If you made two blocks a month starting now in June, you would have Snow Buddies ready to hang to celebrate the New Year.

It is such a great feeling to know that we can now bring back books and patterns that have been retired and to not have to say, "I'm sorry, that book is no longer in print". Yippee!! Let us know if you have a favorite Possibilities book or pattern that you would like to see again. Click on the link to order Snow Buddies or to see what else is ready to download. http://www.greatamericanquilt.com/store/electronicbooks.html

Keep cool,

Lynda

Amy Butler Lotus Tunic pattern and Kim

This is the Amy Butler tunic that my daughter, Kim is going to make. The fabric is freshly washed and she is excited to begin. Her fabric choices are similar to those on the pattern. She also chose some cute fabric for the Birdie Sling bag shown below. I will keep you updated.

Also, my 16 year old granddaughter is visiting from Ohio and was telling me that she wishes she was a better sewer, so, I think I will see if she wants to try her hand at making Amy Butler's Barcelona skirt. I was telling her about it and she seemed interested. I think that Kim and Ellen would have fun working on their projects together, and, they also learn from each other. We have lots of Amy Butler patterns in stock and will have them on the website by next week.

If you can't wait to see them on our site, take a peek at Amy's www.amybutlerdesign.com, and then give us a call to place your order. Have a great weekend, and "happy stitching".

Lynda

New gadget for Lynda

To various friends and family, my husband is known as Captain Consumer. Now you may ask, "How did he come to have that title?" Well, he can talk himself (very easily I might add) into buying any electronic gadget that comes along. Right now, he has at least 3 computers, an iTouch, an iPod and a Nano, and is looking to get the iPhone as soon as he can have Verizon as a carrier. I do have to admit that his consumerism rubs off on the rest of us.


So, a few weeks ago I decided to get a Roomba--the little vacuum robot. I was a little hesitant--how well it would work, and more importantly, how Murphy, the Wheaten Terror, would take to it. For a dog, he is a big scaredy cat. Well, I LOVE IT! Rosie, the family named her after the Jetson's robot maid, is the best thing since sliced bread. I got the top of the line (Captain Consumer rubbing off). I can program her to come on anytime. She comes with two 'lighthouses' that tell her where to go and how to get back to the mother ship. She cleans the hardwood floors, as well as the carpeted areas, and goes between them beautifully. She cleans under chests and tables that have about 4" of clearance. In fact, we were watching her in the kitchen and she went under a bookcase. My husband said that she was stuck, and I said just watch. It took several turns and then she was free. Every time I empty her, I am amazed how much she has picked up. It is amazing how much dust and debris is on the floor, especially with Murphy going in and out all day. I was also surprised how Murphy took to her. He barked and jumped back a few times and then pretty much just tolerates her.


Tuesday evening I was watching TV and heard a little beep. Rosie separated herself from the mother ship and started cleaning. I had forgotten that I programed her and she brought a huge smile to my face. How fun! She is efficient and easy to maintain. I'm not giving up my good vacuum, but Rosie will help day to day. I think that any of you with a large sewing room or studio should try a Roomba. I would try Rosie in mine, but there just isn't enough unused floor space. Anyway, I think she is worth every penny I spent! Below is a picture of Murphy and Rosie.





Yeah for Roomba's and puppies,

Lynda

Colorado Skies

Since I am a Colorado native, I have seen thousands of gorgeous Colorado skies in my lifetime. Usually I don't have my camera at hand, but the other night I did. Below are two photos of an absolutely beautiful cloud formation directly north of my house at about 8:00 in the evening. The whole family, even Murphy the Wheaten Terror, I'm sorry, Wheaten Terrier enjoyed it.

Lynda

Amy Butler Midwest Modern

We are so excited!

At Spring Quilt Market, we made a decision to buy the entire Midwest Modern fabric collection by Amy Butler. The collection is quilting weight fabric, and was inspired by Amy's lifestyle book, Midwest Modern. It is an absolutely beautiful line with 3 luscious palettes--Ohio Sky, Pink Dahlia, and Orange Dahlia. We will also have some of her new solids to coordinate. These fabrics will be delivered to our back door in early August. In the meantime, you can see them for yourself.

Meanwhile, we just received several of Amy's patterns, including her two newest, the birdie sling and the laptop cover. These patterns will be posted to our website http://www.greatamericanquilt.com/ next week. Kim, my daughter, is making her first garment from Amy's pattern, lotus tunic and cami. She has chosen two gorgeous Kaffe Fassett fabrics and is prewashing the fabric as I write. It has been a long time since a garment has been made in this house.

Anyway, we can't wait to get the fabric in! We will be making lots of samples, and Amy is going to let us have a trunk show of her things in August. Nancy and I were lucky enough to spend 3 days with Amy at a creative workshop put on by American Patchwork and Quilting two years ago. What an inspiring lady! Let us know if you would like to be called when the fabric arrives. Have a great weekend and think of me trying to teach my daughter about 5/8" seams. : )

Lynda

Quilt Market, Portland

We left last Wednesday for Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon. The weather was unseasonably warm outside and unseasonably cold in the convention center. It is always a challenge to pack. Nancy, Judy (who has worked with us forever and is irreplaceable), and I, did the buying for the store. Ashley, our Director of Marketing, and Kim, my daughter, worked in the booth to sell our new books. It was Kim's first visit to quilt market and it was so much fun to see it through her eyes. We bought lots of fabric, patterns, books, and more--and we will be telling you about them in future blogs. We returned to Denver on Monday, inspired and ready to play. Stay tuned for more market news and pics.
Lynda

Mother's Day Present Update

Just a quick update--literally 5 minutes before we returned home yesterday, my son, Richard, had finished mowing and edging the lawn and pulling some weeds. To be truthful, my husband, a friend of ours, and myself made a bet on the way home. My husband and I bet that it wouldn't be done because it was still 3 hours before dark. Our friend bet on Richard! Maybe there is hope!
The Doubting Mom : )

Happy Mother's Day

We have had a busy week around here. We shipped our booth stuff to Quilt Market and now are finishing up the last minute details and packing the big suitcases. This is the last time we will be able to check two suitcases each on United Airlines--I'm not sure what we will do--except pay the extra. Spring Quilt Market is in Portland this year. It is one of our favorite places to go and the weather is supposed to be so nice. We have already been buying fabric from our reps so that we don't have so much to look at. I'm ready to be inspired with new fabric, books, patterns, and ideas!

I'm leaving for a quick road trip to Albuquerque tomorrow. My husband and I are going for the Legacy Art Foundation Auction. My husband builds guitars. He built one especially for the auction and then C.J. Wells painted an American Indian on it. Three years ago, he built another one and it was painted by Amado Pena. They are beautiful and hopefully this one will bring in a good deal of money for St. Pius X Foundation. Maybe I'll get a chance to sneak away and visit some of the local quilt stores.

Sunday morning, Mother's Day, we will start back to Denver. I gave my son a special idea for Mother's Day that won't cost him anything. I hinted that I would love to come back home and have the lawn mowed and the weeds pulled that have popped up already with the little bit of moisture and nice weather that we've had. We'll see!

If you happen to be in the Denver area, we are having our Spring sale today through Sat. and also on the web. Happy Mother's Day and I hope you get a little time for 'piece' and quiet.
Lynda

Denver National Quilt Festival III

Thursday, I spent several hours at the Denver National Quilt Festival III. I couldn't decide whether to shop or look at the quilts first. I decided to just start from one end and work my way to the other. The first row was filled with special exhibit quilts, including quilts from the Colorado Quilting Council on Parade 2008. Also on this row was Pressing Matters II-Chicago School of Fusing featuring the works of Frieda Anderson, Ann Fahl, Melody Johnson, Anne Lullie, Emily Parson, Judy Coates Perez, and Laura Wasilowski. There are 13 special exhibits at the show, including quilts, clothing, and dolls from the Hoffman Challenge.

The next 3 rows were vendor booths, so in the first two rows I was able to shop and look at quilts. I thoroughly enjoyed my leisurely walk through the vendor booths. It was my little taste of Paducah and the Chicago Quilt Festival. I talked to a couple of friends who had vended at all three shows--Chicago, Paducah, and Denver. I don't know how they did it. Shows are fun, but very strenuous--especially setting up and taking down.

Finally I got to the quilt competition. I love quilts--I love art quilts, I love traditional quilts, I love small quilts, I love large quilts--and this competition had them all! Over 230 quilts were on display in the competition, not counting the special exhibits and you were able to get up close and personal with them all, although there was a crowd around our own Ann Petersen's quilt, Fine Feathered Fancy (shown below). The winning quilts were, of course, stunning, and Ann's quilt won Dierdra McElroy's Judges Choice award. Congratulations Ann!



Overall, it was a pretty good show--a little expensive to get in. I wish the vendor mall had more vendors, but it has a lot of competition, with Chicago and Paducah so close. Let me know what you think.

Lynda

80 degrees Wednesday, snow Thursday!!

Merry Christmas to everyone! Just kidding, but in case you haven’t heard we had a snow storm here in Denver today (after the 82 degree high yesterday!). You would think that by May 1^st we would be having spring weather, but not Colorado! Several years ago, on June 5th, we celebrated my daughter’s graduation from high school and her birthday, all of which occurred on the same day. Our back yard was where we hosted the party. However, even as late at June 5^th, our backyard was turned into a complete snowfield! So go figure, I guess that unpredictability keeps us all young.

We had a wonderful tour bus of ladies (and one gentleman) join us today. The group was with Heritage Tours and the participants were from all over the world. We had such a great time! Some of the ladies had been to Chicago for Quilt Festival, traveled to Paducah for the AQS show, and now were in Colorado to visit shops and go to the Mancuso Show. I always feel such pride from all of the nice compliments we receive, and it’s so fun to sign books and visiting with these groups—we are just so lucky.

Lynda spent the day at the Mancuso show, (which is being held at the Denver Merchandise Mart). It is close to her house and she was so glad to not have to drive into the store in this snowy weather. I have signed up for a class tomorrow, so I will get to see the show after I take my class. The supply list for my class is very extensive, so I will be heading home after work to get everything ready. The class is designed so that we can learn lots of new embellishment techniques. I hope that when I’m done I have lots of exciting things to share with you!

Stay warm and go put a pot of soup on. Then give me a call and tell me what time dinner is! Have a great weekend.

Nancy

AQS Show Winners, Paducah, KY

What a gorgeous day in Denver, CO! While some of us are here holding down the fort, so to say, several of our employees are either working at the AQS show in Paducah, Kentucky, or just enjoying it. It is one of my favorite shows to attend! The whole city joins in to welcome over 35,000 quilt makers to their town. Quilts are hung just about everywhere.


We sponsor the Judges’ Recognition Award and we also have a vendor booth. The judges this year were Libby Lehman, Gabrielle Swain, and Donna Wilder. They awarded our own Sandi Fruehling’s Rocky Mountain Floral Bouquet first place in the Traditional Small Wall Quilt category, sponsored by Free Spirit/Westminster. Way-to-go Sandi! To see Sandi’s prize winning quilt as well as the quilts the judges chose for their Judges’ Recognition Award, go to http://www.americanquilter.com/ and click on “View 2008 Paducah Quilt Winners”. You might also want to see the big prize winners.

Another honor goes to Ann Petersen. She was a winner in the AQS contest “Sawtooth: New Quilts from an Old Favorite” The winning quilts are now on display in the AQS Museum in Paducah and are published in the book Sawtooth: New Quilts from an Old Favorite. The quilts had to be original interpretations of a classic block. The winners also share a little about their inspiration and design process. Ann’s quilt is absolutely stunning. Kudos to Ann!

Judy, Katie, and Karol Ann, are working in the booth and scouting out new quilting treasures on their breaks. They said one of the top-sellers in our booth was our slap bracelet pincushions. They make a great little present to take home to someone who was not able to attend the show. Hmmm—I wonder what they might bring home for me…….
Happy Day,
Lynda